Apparently, this sign of defensive solidarity was not enough to get Dick LeBeau onto the Senior ballot for the Hall of Fame. LeBeau’s name was left off the list of 17 greats. Those 17 will be whittled down to 2 players who will forever be enshrined in Canton.
I was excited to see the team unite around LeBeau by wearing his Lions jersey to the Hall of Fame game against the Saints, and hoped it would have been enough to get the attention of the seniors committee. LeBeau’s time as a defensive back are only rivaled by his career as an assistant coach who ushered in the era of the zone blitz.
Unfortunately, the committee felt that at least 17 guys were better than LeBeau. Those numbers aren’t too positive for LeBeau, as 15 of those will be denied this year, but will most likely be back in the coming years. It seems like Dick has been waiting forever, and there is no end to that wait in sight.
Ed Bouchette also bring sup LC Greenwood as a name that should be HOF-worthy. Greenwood made it onto the seniors committee 17 this year, as last year was LC’s final year of modern eligibility. Hopefully, LC makes it into Canton soon, thus opening a potential spot on the seniors committee for LeBeau.
It really is a travesty that guys like Greenwood and LeBeau aren’t already in those hallowed halls. Art Monk as well (see, I’m not always a major homer). The Steelers get a lot of flak for having so many enshrinees. However, if a team is as dominant as the Steelers, they deserve all the HOFers they can generate.
All the support goes to Greenwood, and PSaMP has high hopes for Dick LeBeau next year.
